Rising sea levels are an obvious problem for the canal-laden city of Venice, Italy, which is threatened with increased flooding due to climate changes. To make matters worse, scientists have found that the city is actually beginning to sink. Venice is sinking into the water at a rate of about 2 millimeters per year, which I agree doesn’t sound like much, however combined with the rising waters it’s starting to lead to an increased flood rate every year.

But there is hope yet for the city. A multi-billion dollar project is currently underway to create a system of floodgates around the city to prevent the sort of flooding that now occurs a handful of times a year.